Religion Under Stalinist Russia Louisa Luk Helen Li Elizabeth Lam Zoe Cheung "Religion is the sign of the oppressed creature... the opium of people" ~ Karl Marx

How did religion change? Communism was promoted as the new 'religion', traditonal ones were shunned ~ they promoted 'backwardness' Public and private religious rituals were Bolshevised: o Christmas and Easter became Komsomol Christmas and Easter o Instead of baptisms, children were 'octobered' o Red weddings were held in front of a potrait of Lenin rather than an altar, couples made their vows to both each other and the principles of Communism Muslims were prohibited from practicing Islamic Law o fasting during the Holy Month of Ramadan was forbidden o Women were encouraged to abandon the veil o Men and women were not allowed to take part inn pilgrimages to Mecca Jewish schools, libraries and synagogues were closed and the study of Hebrew was forbidden

What happened to religious faith? October Uprising 1917: Bolsheviks confiscated all church lands Russian Civil War : Orthodox Christian priests and bishops under attack - orthodox clergy tended to support Whites Communist Party wanted to eradicate religious belief: anti-religious propaganda set up League of Militant Atheists to be in charge of enforcing this from 1929 persecution of Orthodox Christians increased 1929 decree: barred churches from all activities except church services end of 1930s - only 2% remained operating; 1 out of 40 churches

What happened to Christians and Jews? There was a strong sense of anti- Semetism: Jewish schools, synagogues and libraries closed down. Stalin persecuted Orthodox Christians increased after 1929 as part of his attack on the peasants' traditional way of life during Collectivisation. A decree passed in 1929 also barred churches from participating in any activities other than church services. High taxes were imposed on churches Needless to say, by the end of the 1930s only 2% of Orthodox churches were still open. Stalin allowed a few churches to stay open so that he could support his claim that the freedom of worship stated in the 1936 Stalin Constitution was being observed. Despite this oppression of Orthodox Christianity, the census in 1937, 57% of Russians claimed to be active Christians.

Reaction of People to the Changes: The Bolsheviks were atheistic and viewed religion as a sign of backwardness They believed that religion was an invention to distract the poor and oppressed from trying to remedy their situation on earth by offering them the prospect of perfect happiness after death. Lenin said that the party's aim was to 'destroy the ties between the exploiting classes and the organization of religious propaganda' and replace it with scientific education. After the collapse of Communism in 1991, the Church was immediately revived proving that there was still faith amongst the Orthodox.

Effects of the 'Cultural Revolution': Purging of religion was already underway before Stalin rose to power: o In 1922 already, over 8000 citizens revolting against armed soldiers were killed in the anti- religion campaign By 1929: Apart from church services, a law passed down prohibited religious ceremonies/ practices taking place outside of religious buildings Religious practices and ideology were modified: 'bolshevized' into pagan faiths in favour of Bolshevism

By the end of 1930s, only 2% village churches remained operating Churches weren't allowed to own property or precious, and that the should be used to help famine victims (or so officials claimed) Priests, clergies and bishops prosecuted as 'bourgeoisie class enemies'; Religious relics and icons were ridiculed and dishonored by the Communists